


Glimmer-Gold

by Howling_Eclipse



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Biting, Gen, Human/Vampire Relationship, M/M, Other, Vampire Bites, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:20:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25562734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Howling_Eclipse/pseuds/Howling_Eclipse
Summary: The sight burned into his mind.The red highlights of Nick's hair blazed bright, pale skin glowing, wreathed in gossamer strands of glimmer-gold sunfire.It was perhaps the most dangerously beautiful thing Kevin had ever seen.
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

Green eyes swept over the abandoned warehouse, double checking what potential security it had. He had seen it last week, but hadn't had a chance to actually check it out until today. He was in luck, however, as it seemed only a token effort had been made to keep people out. A pair of bolt cutters made short work of the chain across the door, and then he was in. 

There were a few leftover crates scattered about, but everything of actual value had already been taken. Granted, none of that was what he was here for, but it was still good to know he wouldn't have to worry about being blamed for any looters that might take advantage of the open door. Nothing here to take, after all. 

He selected a wall to start with, setting his bag on top of a nearby crate, the cans of spray paint inside clinking together as he pulled one out. He chewed on a small piece of red licorice, thinking on what to make, shaking the can idly. Just before he could begin, however, he heard a noise and whirled around to see a boy around his age stumbling out from behind some boxes. 

A flash of fangs during the boy's muttered cursed made him freeze in place, but the red of the other male's eyes is what made him flinch back. Vampire, and a hungry one at that. The vampire came closer, saying something, but he couldn't hear what it was. He took another step back and felt himself hit the wall. The vampire's eyes flicked to his wrist, and he knew it saw his donor bracelet as soon as the sheer relief flicked across it's face. 

It shouldn't have been able to get so close to him. He didn't understand why he couldn't seem to move, not even at the flare of pain when the vampire bit him. The last things he heard were the sound of the spray can hitting the ground, dropped from unfeeling fingers, and the sound of his blood being swallowed in desperate gulps.


	2. Chapter One: Morning Sun

The most unexpected part of waking up the next morning wasn't the fact that he had woken up at all, but the fact that he had done so in his own bed. The green-eyed teen sat up, still in his clothes from the night before, a hand reaching up to feel along his throat. All he felt was smooth skin, and two dot-sized scars where he had been bitten. _'Healed?'_ He questioned to himself.

Any further thoughts were interrupted when his door opened and the vampire from last night came into the room, holding a tray of food and glass of orange juice. "Oh good, you're awake. I uh...wanted to say sorry about last night. I'd been locked in there for three days and was starving, but that's no excuse for how I acted. And I took more than I should have. I figured you'd be more comfortable waking up at your own place so I checked your ID for the address." The vampire said, shifting nervously back and forth on his feet. "I uh...hope I didn't mess up any scheduled appointments you might have had. I made food to help you recover." He added, gesturing at the other boy's blood donor tag with the plate. 

_'Nick. And you should have asked properly. I did have an appointment for today but I can cancel it. She has backups in case of emergencies.'_ He signed quickly, and the vampire's eyes widened. Knowing sign language was relatively common in their area, but actually using it wasn't. Nick ignored the vampire's guilty look, pulling out his phone to send a text to cancel his appointment, reaching out and grabbing the food from the silent vampire. He rolled his eyes, knowing what the other was thinking. _'Relax. I lost my voice due to a childhood injury, not you.'_ He signed before beginning to eat, and some of the tension left the vampire's features.

"Right. Well...sorry again for everything and...well...thanksforgettingmeoutoftherebeforeIstarved." the vampire boy said, exhaling the latter part of his sentence in a single rushed breath. He fidgeted for a few more moments. "Right, I'm gonna get out of your hair now. Um...hope you recover quick. And sorry again." The vampire stammered out, quickly retreating from the room. Not long after, Nick heard his front door open and then close, the vampire choosing to flee now that he would be fine. As the vampire left, Nick grabbed his phone again and started sending out a message to his best friend. Cole was going to be upset.


	3. Chapter Two: Midlight Bright

He was right. Cole was _very_ upset, and went on a thirty minute rant as soon as Nick told him about the incident. And kept harping on about it for the next few days. Nick suppressed the urge to roll his eyes when he felt his phone vibrate for an incoming message, knowing what it would be even before he pulled it out.

_'I still say you should go to the cops.'_

He breathed out a sigh. He was tired of arguing this.

 _'And tell them what, Cole? That I broke into an abandoned building to tag one of the walls and accidentally rescued a half-starved vampire while I was at it? I'm a registered blood provider and was wearing my tags, and while the lack of proper communication is frowned upon and he did take a bit more than he should have, he also made sure I got home and was fed and conscious the next morning with no lasting harm. Legally speaking, the only crime committed was breaking and entering, which would get me in trouble and not him. I get where you're coming from, I really do, but can you please just drop it? I'm almost to the restaurant you wanted to check out and I don't want to spend the whole time arguing about this.'_

He texted back his response, shoving the phone back into his pocket as he stepped off the bus, walking the remaining block or so to the restaurant in question, the Seared Fang. Cole had found the story behind it interesting, a particularly old vampire had spent a few years going through the court systems and filing paperwork to get all of the aliases she had used throughout her life recognized so that she could open up a restaurant chain under her own name, and when it was announced that the second location she had chosen would be here in town, Cole had wanted to check it out. 

Personally, Nick found it interesting more for the fact that she had managed to live that long. Vampiric lifespans were...particularly varied. By default, most vampires lived on as long as the average human, but they could survive almost indefinitely as long as they had their sanity and a reason to keep going. A passion. Most chose to direct that passion towards a loved one, following them into death, but the ones that kept going usually stuck around to either help their descendants, or to pursue hobbies such as art, music, or cooking. A fair number of older vampires tended to also gravitate towards the medical field, as well. 

That said, holding onto their sanity was also a requirement for persistence, shackled to their need for blood. Normal food and water was something they still needed, obviously, but that extra requirement for blood was needed to keep their rationality from unraveling and turning them into monsters. 

Nick shook his head, chasing away his thoughts and a few unpleasant memories as he reached the building. Restaurant was perhaps a bit of an overstatement, it was more of a (surprisingly) cozy little diner. He glanced around from under his cap and hoodie combo, looking for Cole. It didn't take too long, his friend tended to stand out in most settings, having a penchant for wearing gothic clothes despite having a personality like a stream of bubbles. And sure enough, the other patrons were pointedly ignoring the dark clothed blonde bouncing along to music in the corner. 

Cole startled when Nick sat down in front of him, not having seen the him walk in. "Jeez, give me a heart attack why don't ya..." he complained, laughing, then sobered a bit. "Hey, sorry I kept pestering you about it. I just was worried you were like, repressing it or something or that it might have triggered memories of Before." He added, apologizing, and Nick shook his head. _'I'm not exactly defenseless, and you know it. I mean, I'm a bit upset it happened, but I'm not repressing anything. Although I did hate having to cancel on Mr. Trikowshki.'_ Nick signed in response.

"I still don't understand how you can stand to do that, after what happened." Cole commented, shaking his head, and Nick shrugged. _'It helps. And it lowers the chances of another vampire losing their sanity and going after a group of kids on a field trip. Besides, it's clinical. None of them take from the source.'_ Nick explained. "Except the guy a few days ago." Cole commented, and Nick paused. He didn't have a response for that.

"Hi welcome to the Seared Fang, my name is Kevin, I'll be your server today. What can I get y'all?" A surprisingly familiar voice interrupted before he could respond, and Nick went still. Surely his luck wasn't that bad. He looked up, and yes, his luck was that bad. The vampire's eyes widened when he recognized him as well, and he took a step back. "Oh sh-" the vampire (Kevin, he had said) started, before almost literally biting his tongue to keep from cursing. "Heeeyyy...glad to see you're okay. Uh...sorry again about the other day. Tell you what, I'll cover your meal today." Kevin offered, sounding awkward, shuffling in place. Nick could see Cole from the corner of his eye looking back and forth between them in confusion, then making an outraged face when he caught on. _'Surprise us then. No pomegranate, he's allergic.'_ Nick signed quickly, handing the menus back before Cole could do more than splutter incoherently. Kevin nodded and walked off quickly, his shoulders tense.

" _Are you kidding me???_ That was him?" Cole hissed, motioning as if to stand up, only for Nick to grab him and pull him back down. Hopefully Kevin would be smart enough to take some time with their meals, he would need it to talk Cole down from causing a scene.


	4. Chapter Three: Sunset

It took a few minutes to calm Cole down, but eventually he agreed to not cause a fuss. He still acted a bit irritated whenever Kevin came by to drop anything off, such as drinks, though he did get a bit more pleasant once the food arrived. It was actually quite good, though once Nick had finished eating Cole was in a hurry to drag the two of them out of there rather than stick around talking like we usually did. The rest of the day wound up being spent wandering around town together, catching a movie and doing some shopping before heading to the club Cole liked to hang out at, though Nick could never remember the name of.   
  
_"I'm going to go sit at the bar.'_ Nick signed to Cole, who nodded and slipped away into the crowd, dancing in the cluster of bodies. To be honest, he kind of hated places like this. Too crowded and noisy, having to constantly keep himself in check so he didn't automatically react to something with more force than necessary. But...they all had their own coping mechanisms, their own way of dealing with the incident that brought them all together. Nick sat down with a silent sigh, tapping the menu to indicate a request for water. He supposed he was lucky, in a way. One of the first things vampires did when they stopped hiding a hundred years ago was get sign language pushed onto the curriculum of just about every school. A decent number of the older vampires had issues with excessive noise due to having more sensitive hearing than average, so having a method of silent communication was considered a priority. Now, it was so ingrained in daily life that he always had a method of interacting with people, even if he did get the occasional odd looks from people not expecting someone as young as himself to be using it.

He sat there, drinking his water and relaxing for a bit, just watching the crowd. He caught a glimpse of Cole briefly, in the middle of the dance floor enjoying himself, and shook his head, noticing a pair of familiar figures from the corner of his eye when he did so. He grit his teeth briefly, trying to ignore it, but only lasted about a minute before he drained his water, set the glass down, and walked over to where he had seen Kevin getting harassed by a somewhat-infamously pushy donor. He reached them right as Thomas was trying to hand Kevin a card, snatching it from his hand.  
  
"Who the hel- oh. _Nick._ " Thomas started, frowning when he saw who it was. He took a few steps back. 

_'Hello, Thomas. I see your third warning wasn't enough to get through to you.'_ Nick signed, a fake smile plastered on his face.

"Ok, first off, that one was bullshit, he accepted, Nancy was just jealous-" Thomas started to defend, and Nick held up a hand to cut him off.

_'Look, I don't care right now. Just go home and I won't report this so you don't get kicked off the donor program.'_ Nick signed, and Thomas looked startled at the offer, then smiled gratefully and just walked off. Nick and Kevin watched him leave, before Nick turned to look at him.

"Um...thanks. I wasn't sure how to turn him down." Kevin admitted. Nick rolled his eyes, then began signing an explanation quickly. _"Thomas gets off on being bitten, and between that and being too pushy, has gotten in trouble before since that's frowned upon among registered blood donors. Most of us, myself included, are more clinical about it rather than providing from the source, so to speak. Speaking of which, I'm still angry about that. Can we go somewhere quiet to talk?'_ Kevin flinched, but then nodded and stood up. "Where to?" Kevin asked, and Nick responded by signing ' _My house._ ', ignoring Kevin's startled yelp of "Wait, what?" as he texted a message to Cole that he was heading home. His friend would see it whenever he went to take a break.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kevin was nervous as they walked in, and a mildly vindictive part of Nick was pleased at that. He locked the door behind them, gesturing at the chairs in the living room and going to the kitchen to get some more water. He came back and sat across from Kevin, who was fidgeting in place, waiting for Nick to start things off. Nick set his drink down and sighed. _'Look. I'm going to start this off by saying that, while yes, I am angry, I'm not as angry as you think. Under the circumstances, what you did would legally be considered merely rude, while I was breaking and entering. So here's what's going to happen: We're going to start over, and I'm going to ask a question, then you can ask me something, and so on. Get to know each other. Deal?"_ Nick signed carefully, making sure Kevin could keep up, and the other boy visibly relaxed a bit as he nodded his acceptance. Nick smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, and sat back. _'Ok. First question. Why were you in that building?'_ he signed, and Kevin grimaced in response.

"My uh...older brother locked me in. As a prank or as a test to make me tougher, I don't know. I'm pretty sure he expected me to break out on my own before things got too bad. He does stuff like that often. It's why I moved in with my Aunt. He was supposed to be dropping me off, but uh...well. You saw how that turned out." Kevin explained, then thought for a few minutes about what he wanted to ask. "How, um...how did you lose your voice? You said it was an old injury.." Kevin asked, hesitating in case it was a sore subject. _'...Are you familiar with the Crassian Incident?'_ Nick signed, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. 

"Yea, an elder vampire lost his mind and attack a group of schoolkids on a field trip. The whole class turned out to be sympathetic mages and amped up a fire spell to completely immolate him. It was a major thing on the news for a few years...you were there?" Kevin asked, and Nick smiled ruefully. _'The media got a few things wrong, only most of the class were sympathetic mages. But, details do tend to get lost, I suppose. One or two out of a class of eight being a rarer type than the others is easy to overlook. To answer your question, though, yes I was there. More specifically, I was in his jaws when Crassian started burning. Between him and a bit of the fire reaching me, it basically destroyed my vocal chords.'_ Nick signed, his eyes losing focus for a moment before snapping back to Kevin.

_'That was two questions. My turn..._


	5. Interlude: Kevin

Kevin yawned, slipping his shoes off next to the door as his aunt's dog looks up from where it was laying on the floor. He gave the dog a quick pat on his way to the kitchen, idly thinking to himself that he really should try and remember the dog's name. He had been there a month already. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket as he got a drink from the fridge, pulling it out and rolling his eyes at a joke picture Cole had sent in the group chat Nick had invited him into. It had taken some time after thier initial meeting, but the other boy had eventually warmed up to him, and was actually pretty funny, though Kevin mostly interacted with Nick via texts.

He was honestly rather grateful that the other boy had gotten him out of that warehouse, all that time ago. Granted, the initial meeting and subsequent early interactions were not ideal, but he really owed him. For opening the way out, for providing blood, for being so forgiving afterwards, and as he discovered earlier that night, for not setting him on fire on first sight. He sent off a quick text to his aunt, letting her know he was home, in response to her earlier text that she would be out all night handling errands, before plugging his phone in and dropping onto his bed with a sigh, his mind running through the events of earlier.

He had been hanging out with Nick and Cole at the latter's house, and he had asked about Nick's habit of running around alone at night and if he had any methods of protecting himself, and the question had apparently touched an old nerve for the mute boy, because he scowled, and Cole had laughed and told Kevin that out of all thier friends, Nick was the least defenseless, and that he had actually gotten off pretty luckily. Kevin, of course, had questioned what he meant, only for Cole to smirk and tell him to watch. And watch he did, as Nick stood up and moved to the center of the room, lifting up a hand as an dome of light surrounded him, dozens of conditional runes floating in it, clearly triggers for various automatic defenses. Kevin was entranced, the sight burning itself into his mind, with the red highlights in Nick's hair, usually subdued and hard to see, blazed bright, his pale skin glowing, wreathed in gossamer strands of glimmer-gold sunfire. It was perhaps the most dangerously beautiful thing Kevin had ever seen, the scene constantly running through his mind all the way home.

He ran a hand through his air, his other hand tightening around his drink bottle as he groaned in frustration, recognizing the first stirrings of attraction. "I am _so fucked._ " he laughed at himself.


End file.
